


House of the Damaged

by sammysouffle (talesandthings)



Category: Daredevil (TV), Marvel Cinematic Universe, The Defenders (Marvel TV)
Genre: Angst, Attempt at Humor, Drugged Matt Murdock, Fluff, Gen, Hurt/Comfort, Idiots in Love, M/M, Protective Foggy Nelson, Protective Frank Castle, Unrequited Love
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2017-08-07
Updated: 2017-08-07
Packaged: 2018-12-12 04:11:53
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,207
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/11729247
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/talesandthings/pseuds/sammysouffle
Summary: Foggy falls for someone he can't have and if that isn't enough, Matt goes ahead and gets himself doused with a love potion and decides to make Foggy’s chaotic life even more chaotic.





	House of the Damaged

Foggy and Karen have been living together for the past 8 months. They both claim that it’s more cost effective and it just makes _sense_ to share an expensive 3 bedroom apartment than rent two shitty ones on their own. In reality, they need each other now more than ever. Karen is still shaken after she was shot at in her own apartment and then kidnapped. Foggy still wakes up cold sweats when he thinks about the bullets they were hailed with and he still sees Reyes’ bloody, lifeless body in his dreams. Needless to say, they aren't doing well. And then, there’s the elephant in the room that they don't want to talk about. Matt. They miss him. They just refuse to talk about him.

***

One day, 4 months ago, Karen brought Castle home bloodied and bruised. That's the day, he became part of their house of the damaged. Foggy wasn’t too happy about it at first, but Castle needed a hideout, and he was in pretty bad shape. Foggy didn’t have it in him to ask the guy to leave.

***

Somewhere between getting Castle back on his feet and passively aggressively arguing with him about the morality of his actions, Foggy fell for him. Hard.

***

Castle has nightmares too. They are the house of the damaged after all. They all have their demons. Ones they don’t deal with when they’re awake. So the demons come back and haunt them at night.

Castle’s piercing screams wake Foggy up every single night. The guy relives the death of his family every time he closes his eyes. It breaks Foggy’s, heart. He lies there in his bed, clutching onto his sheets, waiting, hoping, praying for the screams to stop. He can’t go in there. He hasn’t earned that right. His relationship with Castle doesn’t even have a name. They aren’t friends. They definitely aren’t something more.

So Foggy waits… and waits… and waits…. Until he hears the door open and shut. It doesn’t long for the screaming to stop after that. Their walls are thick enough that Foggy never hears what Karen says to help him calm down. He just finds Karen leaving his room early in the morning. Over breakfast, they share silent looks, like they’re sharing a secret. It’s his own house but Foggy feels odd being there. He almost feels like he’s intruding on them. It makes his heart painfully clench in his chest.

***

Karen’s not here this weekend. Her mom is in the hospital so Karen had to go back home. Between Karen’s panicking, and emergency trip planning, and Foggy’s chaotic week at work, they never talked about what Foggy was supposed to in case Castle had another one of his nightmares.

Foggy startled awake 10 minutes ago when he heard the first scream. The man has been crying out for his children tonight. This is painfully hard to listen to. He is calling out for them like he is expecting to hear back from them. Foggy feels tears prickling on the edges of his eyes. There’s no Karen tonight. No Karen to hold Castle. No Karen to rock him gently while whispering assuring words in his ears. It’s just the two of them, and Foggy has to do something. Anything. 

Foggy tosses aside his sheets and gets out of bed before padding over to Castle’s room. Foggy raises his hand to knock on the door when he decides that that probably isn’t a good idea. He slowly opens the door and even in the dark, he can see Castle’s sleeping form on the bed. The man is thrashing around.

“C- Castle?” Foggy calls out. He keeps his voice low.

When that doesn’t work, Foggy gulps and closes the door behind him. Without the light from the living room, they are left in complete darkness.

“Castle?” Foggy calls out again. A little louder this time.

Foggy immediately regrets that when Castle gasps and abruptly sits up on his bed. Foggy’s breath catches in his throat when he hears a clicking noise.

“Shit!” He hisses and quickly looks for the light switch behind him. “Castle, hey, whoa, it’s just me,” Foggy says, putting his hands out in front of him. Just as he had suspected, there is a Glock pointed at his chest. “It’s Foggy. I live here too, remember?”

It takes few seconds for a sense of recognition to fall over Castle’s face.

Foggy’s releases a relieved breath when the gun is out of sight. “Um- you- you okay?”

Castle looks slightly shaken, but he stands his ground as he says, “Yeah, I’m good.”

Foggy sighs as he makes his way over to Castle’s bed and sits down on the edge. “You were screaming, man.” Foggy pauses and licks his lips before saying, “For your kids.”

Castle’s eyes widen just a little, but he narrows them almost immediately and glares at Foggy.

“Don’t look at me like that,” Foggy huffs at him. He waits and then hesitantly asks, “Do you wanna talk about it?”

“No,” Castle grumbles. He tosses the sheets aside and Foggy quickly averts his eyes. He can’t let them linger on Castle’s bare chest. That is wrong on so many levels right now.

Foggy moves aside as Castle swings his legs off the bed and sits down beside him.

“Look, I know I’m not Karen-” Foggy says and leans forward to press his hands together. “-but she’s not here right now and- and I’m worried about you so please talk to me.” Castle stays quiet beside him. Foggy can see him grabbing tightly onto the edge of the bed. “Fine, if you won’t talk to me then I’ll call Karen. That woman doesn’t sleep until it’s 5 in the morning, anyway.” As Foggy starts to get up from the bed, he feels a tight grip around his wrist. He looks over at Castle to find him still looking down at the ground. Foggy tries to pull his hand away but Castle holds on.

“You don’t have to call her,” Castle finally speaks up. “We never talk.”

“Then what do you do?”

Castle looks up at him and gives him a pointed look in return. Foggy’s cheeks heat up at that. “Oh right,” he mumbles. “Can’t help you there.” He could. He just isn’t sure Castle would want that. The heat of Castle’s gaze makes Foggy look away and clear his throat. “Okay, um- but what does she do- you know- before _that_?”

Castle goes quiet once again. It takes Foggy a while to register that Castle has been rubbing gentle circles on the inside of his wrist. Foggy figures it might be something that helps ground Castle.

Castle mumbles something under his breath that Foggy doesn't quite catch.

“What?”

Castle lets out a put-upon sigh and looks up at Foggy again. “I said, she holds me,” he says a little louder this time. He doesn’t seem too comfortable saying it out loud.  

“Oh?” Foggy asks. “Oh… okay. Um yeah- I could-” he pauses and takes in a dry gulp. “-I could do that. If you know, you’re okay with it? I mean I totally get it if it’s too weird-”

“Do it,” Castle cuts in mid-rant.

Foggy stills at that. “Really? Are you sure about that?”

“I just that said yes, didn’t I?”

Foggy nods when he gets another glare from Castle. “Okay, fine. Scoot over.”

Castle lets go of Foggy’s wrist, and moves to lie down on his bed again. Foggy knows this is a bad idea. Abort. Abort. Abort, his brain screams. But Foggy doesn’t listen to reason. He gets in beside Castle and lies still for a moment. The knowledge that he literally just got into bed with a killer isn’t lost on him. Foggy slowly turns on his side and just watches Castle for a few minutes. Castle used to have longer, almost bushier hair, and a heavy beard on his face. A few days ago, he decided that he no longer wanted to “live like a coward” (his words not Foggy’s). So now his face just has a five o’clock shadow. His hair is crew cut but the upright hair on top of his head is slightly longer than the usual crew cut hairstyles. Right now, without the hair products, that upright hair is mussed. That tugs at Foggy’s heartstrings because the guy almost looks... _adorable_. Not that Foggy’s about to tell him that. He doesn’t have a death wish. Especially not when he knows there’s a gun right there under Castle’s pillow.

“So um- how do you wanna do this?” Foggy asks as he lets his hand hover over Castle's arm. 

Instead of replying, Castle moves closer and buries his face in the juncture between Foggy’s shoulder and neck. His warm breath and the light scruff on his face tickle Foggy. He bites down on his lips to keep himself from laughing. He also tries to ignore the fact that Castle is practically naked as he throws his arm around him and holds him.

“Is this okay?” Foggy only gets a grunt in return so he takes that as an affirmative.

Castle snakes his arm around Foggy’s waist and pulls him closer. Foggy yelps when the guy’s cold hand inches inside his night shirt. “What are you doing?” He asks as his heart starts racing.

“You’re warm,” Castle grumbles against Foggy’s neck like that answers everything.

“This is a little too weird, man,” Foggy admits. “Do you think you could wear a t-shirt, a tank top, something?”

“Can’t sleep with a shirt on.”

“Of course, you can’t,” Foggy mumbles.

Castle goes quiet again. He strokes his thumb against Foggy’s back, leaving goosebumps in its wake. “Why is this weird?” He decides to ask much to Foggy’s surprise.

“It’s- uh- it’s weird because…” he trails off as he tries to find the answer. “...because I’m gay?” Foggy’s brain short fuses the second those words are out of his mouth. This isn’t how he imagined coming out to Castle or anyone. Ever. He never even came out to best friend for fuck’s sake.

Foggy starts to move away but Castle holds on, keeping him in place. He looks up and gives Foggy an indiscernible look. Foggy holds his breath and lays still as he waits for Castle's reaction.

"What does that have to do with anything?” Castle asks. 

Foggy releases a relieved a breath at that, “Nothing I just- I didn’t want you to take this the wrong way.” He laughs nervously. “I’m not trying to make a move on you or something. This is just platonic… cuddling?”

Castle inches closer, his lips hover near Foggy’s. Instead of answering Foggy's question, he asks, “Do I scare you, Counselor?”

“W-What?” Foggy stutters. He ignores Castle’s lips and adamantly looks into his light brown eyes instead. “Of course, not. What’s scary about a guy who could literally snap my neck in 0.5 seconds?”

Foggy immediately regrets saying that when a hurt look falls over Castle’s face. He removes his hand from Foggy’s back and Foggy misses his touch. “You really think I’d hurt you?” 

“No, I didn’t mean it like that,” Foggy tries to assure him and moves to rest his palm against Castle’s cheek. “I’m sorry,” he mumbles earnestly. “Are you okay, though? We could still talk about your nightmares if you want.”

“There’s nothing to talk about. I don’t remember the damn nightmares.”

“Okay.” Foggy actually believes him. “Let’s talk about something else then…” He removes his hand from Castle’s cheek and taps his index finger against his chin as he pretends to think. “What about you and Karen?”

Castle scowls at him in return. “What about us?”

“Are the two of you together?” 

"Why makes you say we're together?" Castle asks with an edge in his voice. 

“Because you're sleeping together? I mean it’s cool if you are, you know, together." Foggy shrugs. "God knows, Karen’s always been too complicated for me to understand or Matt for that matter.” He bites down on his tongue when Castle’s frown gets deeper. “Right- sorry- shouldn’t talk about your supposed girlfriend’s ex. But the truth is that I’m glad my she finally has someone who understands her.” He fake yawns and he smacks his lips together. “Anyway, I should go back to bed. You’re okay now, right?”

“Stay,” Castle says without missing a beat.

“You sure? I have a habit of snoring, man. It’s not a fun sound. Trust me.”

The edges of Castle’s lips twitch so Foggy counts that as a win. “I think I can deal. Stay here tonight.” He winds his arm around Foggy’s waist again and lets his hand sneak inside his shirt. Foggy hisses when Castle’s cold, calloused fingers come in contact with his warm skin. Castle buries his face in Foggy’s neck, and Foggy’s sure he won’t survive this night. 

***

It’s the trembling that wakes him up. The first scream puts him on alert. “Hey shhh... I got you,” Foggy whispers in Castle’s ear. “I got you.” He isn’t sure what else to do so he rubs Castle’s back in an effort to calm him down. “You’re okay, you’re home.”

Foggy knows Castle's awake when he grasps onto Foggy's shirt and pulls him even closer. Foggy’s whole body is uncomfortably squished against Castle’s but he doesn’t mind.

Castle’s tears seep through the front of Foggy’s shirt and it breaks his heart. “Castle, you’re okay,” he repeats himself. Castle holds onto Foggy like he’s his lifeline. His teeth sink into Foggy’s shirt like he’s trying to keep himself from screaming. Foggy moves one of his hands into Castle’s hair and grabs onto it. Foggy forces Castle to bury his face even further into his chest. He continues to run his hand through Castle’s hair while rubbing his back with the other.

It takes a while for the trembling and silent cries to stop. Foggy’s throat feels tight. Castle stays pressed up against Foggy's body for a few minutes. Their synchronized shallow breathing is the only thing that can be heard throughout the room.

Castle soon unwinds himself from Foggy’s embrace and sits up on his bed. Foggy follows him and rests a hand on his shoulder.

“You good?”

“Yeah,” Castle grumbles, clearing his throat. “I’ll be right back.”

Foggy doesn’t let him leave. He grabs onto his hand and keeps him in place. “Talk to me. Talk to someone, man. You can’t just keep this buried forever.”

Castle pulls his hand out of Foggy’s grip and whirls on him. “I don’t need anyone!” He growls. His red eyes make Foggy slink back.

“Well, too bad,” Foggy throws back. “Because you have people in your life now. People who care about you. You can’t just push us away.”

“Like hell, I can’t.”

“Shut up!” Foggy hisses. He shoots out of the bed and starts pacing back and forth in front of it. “I am just sick and tired of this lone wolf bullshit, man. You are _not_ alone. Karen and I, we- you’re our friend. We care what happens to you. _I_ care what happens to you.”

“You sure about that?” Castle’s voice turns low and dangerous. “Sure you’re not just trying to replace Murdock?”

Foggy stops, and gawks at him. “You seriously think that?”

“I know that.”

“Then you’re an idiot!” Foggy says throwing his hands up in the air.

Castle throws aside the sheets and gets out of the bed too. He stops in front of Foggy and asks, “You really expect me to believe you won’t just go running back to him someday?”

“So what if I go back running to him someday? He’s my best friend. You and I…. our relationship doesn’t even have a name.” Foggy isn't sure why he says that. It probably has something to do with the lack of his sleep. His brain isn't working right now. 

Castle jaw tightens, his eyes narrow, and his breath comes out in sharp, harsh puffs. Before Foggy can react, he’s grabbed by the waist, turned around and slammed onto the bed. His heart shoots up to his throat as Castle looms over him. His puffy eyes are still red. He almost looks dangerous.

Castle opens his mouth to say something but a loud banging on the door stops him. He watches Foggy for a few seconds before moving away. Foggy’s heart races as he gets out of bed, and rushes out of the room. He doesn’t even bother looking through the peephole. He’s pretty sure it’s Karen. Maybe she decided to save Foggy from his misery and return home at an odd hour in the morning. But when Foggy throws the door open, he freezes.

“Jessica? Luke?” He frowns at the one-half of The Defenders. “What are you doing here?”

“Hey Foggy,” Luke awkwardly waves at him. “Can we come in? We kind of need a place to lay low for a few hours.”

Foggy throws a glance over his shoulder to find that the door to Castle’s room is closed. “Cops?” Foggy can’t have cops coming to his house. Not when he has FBI’s Most Wanted living with him. Granted Castle is presumed dead, but they can't take any risks. 

“No-”

“Fogggggggy,” before Luke can finish his sentence, Matt, dressed in his Daredevil suit, pushes both him and Jessica out of the way, and makes his way into Foggy’s house. Much to Foggy’s surprise, he finds himself pulled into a tight hug by his former best friend.

Foggy awkwardly pats his back in return, “Hey, M- Daredevil.” They haven't even seen each other in months. Foggy isn't sure why he's being hugged by Matt. 

“I thought I told you to hold him back until we brought Foggy up to speed.” Foggy hears Luke hiss at someone and looks up to find Danny standing sheepishly behind his two teammates.

“Not my fault, man. He tried to kiss me,” Danny makes a disgusted noise and wipes his lips with the back of his hand.  

“You won’t get cooties, Rand,” Jessica scoffs at him.

Foggy smacks Matt’s leg away when his former best friend tries to climb him. “What the hell are you doing?”

Instead of replying, Matt grabs Foggy’s face between his hands. “I love you, Foggy. I love you so so much." 

Foggy’s heart skips a beat as he hears Matt say those words. His voice sounds slurred like he’s drunk. Foggy can’t smell any alcohol on his breath, though.

“Oh great, here we go again,” Jessica groans behind them.

“Seriously Daredevil? You just told me, you loved me 5 minutes ago,” Danny complains beside her.

Foggy frowns and smacks Matt’s hands away, which gains him a pout in return. But the pout disappears almost immediately and Foggy soon finds himself being pressed against the hard material of Matt’s suit. “I still love you,” he says, sounding proud of himself.

“Uh, guys? One of you wanna tell me why I’m being squished by The Devil of Hell’s Kitchen?”

“That’s what we’ve been trying to tell you-” Luke starts to say but gets cut off by Jessica.

“But first do you want to tell us why there’s a guy in your house who looks an awful lot like The Punisher?”

 


End file.
